*PAST INDEFINITE TENSE*
CONJUGATION OF THE VERB to Write
AFFIRMATIVE SENTENCE
(Sub + Past Tense form of the verb)
1st Person (Singular):- I wrote.
1st Person (Plural):- We wrote.
2nd Person (Singular):- You wrote.
2nd Person (Plural):- You wrote.
3rd Person (Singular):- He wrote./She wrote/ Gitika wrote
3rd Person (Plural):- They wrote./ Gitika and Kritika wrote.
NEGATIVE SENTENCES
(Sub+did+not+ Base form of the verb)
1st Person (Singular):- I did not write.
1st Person (Plural):- We did not write.
2nd Person (Singular):- You did not write.
2nd Person (Plural):- You did not write.
3rd Person (Singular):- He did not write. / She did not write/ Preety did not write.
3rd Person (Plural):- They did not write./Preety and Rabin did not write.
INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES
(Did+Sub+ Base form of the finite verb?)
1st Person (Singular):- Did I write?
1st Person (Plural):- Did we write?
2nd Person (Singular):- Did you write?
2nd Person (Plural):- Did you write?
3rd Person (Singular):- Did he write? Did she write? Did Geetartha write?
3rd Person (Plural):- Did they write? Did Geetartha and Pravina write?
USES
i) The Past Indefinite Tense is used to describe an action completed in the past and it has no relation with present. It often occurs with adverbs or adverb phrases of past like 'yesterday', 'last week' 'last year', 'an hour ago, 'in 1947, in 2001 etc.
EXAMPLES:-
I met the chairperson yesterday.
His father bought a new car last week.
He received the message an hour ago.
India became independent in 1947.
She visited England in 2001.
NOTE:- Sometimes the Past Indefinite Tense is used without an adverb of past time. In such cases the time may be implied or indicated by the context.
EXAMPLES:-
M K Gandhi spent fifteen years in South Africa.
Babar defeated Ibrahim Lody in the battle of Panipath.
Edison invented the gramophone.
ii) The Past Indefinite Tense is used to describe a past habit.
He studied for ten hours everyday before the final examination.
His grandfather always carried an umbrella.
Gandhiji always spoke the truth.
His uncle always kept a stick in his hand.
NOTE:- To describe a past habit, we can use the expression 'used to' + verb' in place of Simple Past Tense.
My grandfather used to carry an umbrella.
He used to study for ten hours everyday.
(Moreover the Past Indefinite Tense is used to express a discontinued habit: ' I used to ride a lot.' means that I rode a lot at one period of my life but I donot ride a lot now.'
( Thomson and Martinet: A Practical English Grammar.)
iii) The Past Indefinite Tense is used to describe an event or action that occupied a period of time in the past which now ended.
She worked for six hours. ( She is not working now.)
His uncle lived in Guwahati for ten years.
(He is no longer living in Guwahati.)
iv) This tense is used in Subordinate Clauses to refer to something desirable or to an unreal state of things.
EXAMPLES:-
I wish I knew your father.
If I were you, I would not do that.
I wish i could help you.
v)The Simple Past Tense is used to make polite enquiries often with the verbs like ' hope' , 'think', 'wonder'.
EXAMPLES:-
I wonder if you would give me the book.
I wonder if she could help me.
I hope if they would help me.
vi) In a sentence which begins with 'It's time', 'It's high time' the past indefinite tense is used although we refer to the present moment here.
Examples:-
It's almost midninght now. It's time we returned home.
(It means - it has already been late to return home.)
It's time you got up.
(It is 8' O clock now. Your school starts from 9 a.m. You are still sleeping. It has already been late to leave bed.)
We can use
'It's high time+ Past Indefinite' to express the idea 'It is time to do something that should have been done a long tine ago.
Note:- It is time +to infinitive form can refer to the speaker and listener together. When we are 'in time' to do something (It's not late to do it), we can use
'It is time + to infinite form'.
It is time to start the work.
It's time to pack your luggage.
Let's see what A J Thomson and A V Martinet say about it in the chapter 'Subjunctive':: 'A Practical English Grammar'.
"It is time+ Past Subjunctive (Unreal past):-
'It is time' can be followed by the infinitive:
It's time to start.
or by
'for + object + infinitive':
It's time for us to go.
or by
' subject + a past subjunctive:
It's time we went.
It's time we were leaving.
There is a slight difference in meaning between the forms.
'It is time+ infinitive' merely states that the correct time has arrived.
It is time + subject + past subjunctive implies that it is a little late.
( 'high' can be added to emphasise this idea
It is high time we left.
It is time +I/he/she/it can not be followed by 'were'
It is time I was going.
Note:- Raymond Murphy writes ' the following words regarding sentences beginning with 'It's time.
It's late. It's time we went home.
Here we use the past (went) but the meaning is present or future, but not the past.
It's 10 O' clock and he's still in bed. It's time he got up. (Not- It's time he gets up.)
'It's time you did something' means 'you should have done it already or started it.'
We follow this structure to criticise or to complain.
We can also say
'It's about time.......' or 'It's high time ......'. This make the criticism stronger.
'Jack is a great talker. But it's about time he did something instead of just talking.
You are very selfish.It is high time you realised that you're not the most important person in the world.
(Intermediate English Grammar, Cambridge University Press)
vii) We use the past indefinite tense in a sentence after 'I wish'.
Examples:-
I wish I could do the sum.
I wish I could help you.
We use the past tense with 'I wish' to express our regret for something that we failed to do or something is not as we would like it to be.
I wish I could lend you the money.
(Sorry, I can't do so.)
It rains a lot here. I wish it did not rain so often.
I have to work a lot here. I wish I did not have to work here.
We can say 'You wish ... ' also.
Do you ever wish you could fly?
